SANTORINI, GREECE GLISTENS ON THE AEGEAN SEA!

Thursday, October 29, 2026
Day 24/50
Santorini, Greece
70F, sunny

Apartment building

Let me just say this first, Dear Readers—we now know there are two ports on the island of Santorini.

 

Buildings perched on top of the mountain

closeup

Mountaintop white buildings

a stunning sight

Another view

We awoke this morning to the most beautiful site, mountains with pure white buildings perched all along the top. This was the Island of Santorini!

 

Santorini was formed as part of the rim of a massive prehistoric volcanic caldera that collapsed into the sea, around 1600 BCE. This collapse created dramatic cliffs and panoramic views of the Aegean Sea.  The catastrophic impact of this eruption destroyed the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri and sent ash and pumice as far afield as Egypt and Israel.  It is also believed to be one of the largest volcanic events on Earth in the past 10,000 years.

 

Santorini, the largest island, has a permanent year-round population of about 15,500 residents, which swells significantly with over 2 to 3 million visitors each year. It is part of the Cyclades island group in the southern Aegean Sea, 120 miles southeast of mainland Greece and is about 28 square miles. 

________________________

Small things that fascinate me: The two small islands in the center of the

Santorini caldera, Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni are the youngest volcanic land in Greece. Palea Kameni (Old Burnt Island) is less than 2000 years old, while Nea Kameni (Young Burnt Island) began to form only 425 years ago and its youngest lavas are less than 50 years old.  An island just popped out of the sea 425 years ago! Imagine that! Both are uninhabited.

 

This image gives you an idea of what I

described--Santorini is on the top and right, 

a couple other islands form the

circle. The original volcano was in the middle 

and "sank." The small island in the center 

developed less than 2000  years ago

The larger one in the center is an active 

volcano, and the mass bubbled 

up about 425 years ago 

______________________________________

We had to take a water shuttle to the island, and from there we had a Princess “On Your Own Tour” in Fira. The tour guide on the bus and in Fira was the worst ever. She was only speaking loud enough so a few in front could hear. I kept asking her to speak up, but she continued speaking to only a few as she was indicating where we were to meet up with her to return to the bus.  At that point she was leaving us on our own and we had no idea there were two cruise ports in Santorini, and we were dropped off at one, which we now know was Athinios Port.

 

Island Princess

At 8:45 a.m. in the morning shops and many cafes were closed and we were trying to find our way around Fira. We encountered a gentleman helping other people with directions. When we found out he was a taxi driver, we made the decision to hire him to take us around the island. 

Island Princess from Fira

After negotiating the price, we rode away, off to nearby Oia. Oia is famous for its panoramic views, marble sidewalks, and the St. George Orthodox Church (Agios Georgios). The church is a great example of traditional Cycladic architecture and is one of the most identifiable sites on the island because of its eye-catching blue dome and whitewashed stone walls.  

Marble walkway in Oia

St. George Orthodox Church in Oia

Marble walkway

From there we traveled to Finikia, a peaceful, traditional village about a mile from Oia, with pedestrian only cobblestone alleys. George said that the wealthy live in Oia, but the regular people live in villages like Finikia.

 

A lane in Finikia

Another beautiful church

Finikia

Another highlight was visiting Kamari that has one of Santorini’s biggest and blackest beaches, stretching for about 2.5 miles.  We walked along the beach for a bit and even found two pieces of beach glass!  Santorini is known for having black sand beaches, white sand beaches, and red sand beaches! 

Kamari!

Black sandy beach

Another perspective

Black lava

Red lava

We stopped at a deli and found tiropita, a “sandwich” we found at Erie’s Greek Festival, Panegyri, last year—so delicious: a five cheese (feta, ricotta, cottage, cream cheese, and sour cream) mixture in filo dough.  Heavenly! We also shared baklava and kataifi.  More Heaven!

 

The best tiropita!!
https://www.erotokritos-santorini.gr/

By this time, we wanted to return to the shuttle and here is where things went kerflooey.  George asked us and we described the port where we arrived in the morning. He dropped us off at that same port where we met our bus to Fira.  Princess buses were parked at what we now know is Athinios Port, but the bus drivers told us the water shuttle was not returning until 5 p.m. (it was 1 p.m. at the time).  That is when we learned that Princess was running shuttles all day at the port of Fira. We called George back and he returned to take us back to Fira. We were not going to walk the 588 steps down to the waterfront, so we took the cable car down.  By 2:30 p.m. we were back on the ship!

I calmly mentioned all of this at the Shore Excursion Desk before we went to dinner tonight. I use the term “calmly” loosely.

All in all, the weather was perfect, George saved the day, and Santorini is exquisitely beautiful.

https://eastendtravel.gr/  (ask for George Vatikiotis—he was fantastic)

CABLE CAR PHOTOS!

I couldn't figure out which photo I liked better--

For location purposes!

Where in the world are we?

CHANIA, CRETE, GREECE: A CHARMING CITY THAT BLENDS HISTORY, CULTURE, AND TRADITION!

Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Day 23/50
Chania, Crete, Greece
69F, cloudy, some sun—we were back at the ship before the rain started
 

Harbor at Chania, Crete

Dear Readers, 

Are you ready for History Lesson #241??   There is just too much history in the Mediterranean, most of which is quite fascinating.  I am trying not to be tedious but I don't know if I am succeeding! I love hearing words like Minoan, Phoenician, Greek, Cretan, Roman, Venetian, and so much more!  Here we go----

Crete is another island that TK visited in the U.S. Navy, even where the Island Princess docked, Souda Bay.  Our $15/pp roundtrip shuttle (20 minute ride) dropped us off in Chania in a well-defined area. It was an easy walk to the Old Town, which was already vibrant by 9 a.m.   I did not realize there were three cruise ships in port today until I saw all the people.

 

Chania is the second-largest city on the island of Crete, Greece, featuring a permanent municipality population of 111,375 residents as of the 2021 census.  The city proper has about 54,000 residents.

 

The port is built on the ancient Minoan settlement of Kydonia, with distinct Venetian, Ottoman, and Greek influences.  Main attractions include the 14th-century Venetian Harbor and narrow old-town streets.  The economy is driven by agriculture (olive oil, citrus, wine) and tourism.

Park near our drop off point

Streets are easily navigated

 

Today was “Oxi” Day” all over Greece. Written “Όχι” in Greek, the word means “No.” The holiday recalls the early hours of 28 October 1940, when Italian ambassador Emanuele Grazzi delivered an ultimatum from Benito Mussolini to Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas. Italy demanded permission to enter and occupy strategic parts of Greece. Metaxas rejected the demand, popularly remembered as a firm “Ochi”/ “Όχι.”  Our Greek server where we ate said it was pronounced O she, but others, not Greek, said O he. I don't know.

Greek military at attention

Dignitaries escorted into the church

The holiday is not a celebration of war. It is a remembrance of the human cost of conflict and the value Greeks place on freedom and self-determination. 

 

Crete has a particularly powerful connection to the Second World War. After mainland Greece fell in 1941, the island became the site of the Battle of Crete, one of the conflict’s most significant airborne operations. 

The battle involved Allied forces, Greek soldiers, and Cretan civilians resisting German invasion. Crete’s wartime experience is still remembered through memorials, cemeteries, museums, and local family stories.

 

A Greek Orthodox Bishop escorted into the church

We were able to observe part of the solemn ceremony—uniformed soldiers and sailors lined up at the entrance of the Holy Metropolitan Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (Trimartiri), a Greek Orthodox Cathedral.  Soldiers and Sailors were standing at attention while dignitaries and the Priest entered the church.  Later a parade was scheduled, but we did not see that.

 

Holy Metropolitan Church of the 
Presentation of the Virgin Mary (Trimartiri)

While enjoying the perfect waterfront, our stops also included various shops, Starbucks, and Gyros Chania. We decided not to take chances and purchased Crete, Rhodes, and Athens coffee cups—sometimes tours do not allow time to wander around and find a Starbucks.

 

TK is way way in the back

3 more coffee cups!  Another couple bought

5 cups, we are not the only ones

who like these cups!

The harbor area was beautiful, with restaurants circling the water with a Venetian lighthouse and a Mosque on either side of the entrance. The Mosque Yalı Tzami, which blends Renaissance and Arabic Islamic styles, was constructed in 1645 after the Ottoman conquest of Chania, it was dedicated to Küçük Hasan Pasha, the first Turkish military governor. It was the first mosque built in Crete under Ottoman rule.  Today it is used for exhibitions.

 

Mosque Yalı Tzami

The beautiful Venetian lighthouse is one of the oldest in the whole world. Located at the entrance of the port of Chania, it was built in 1864 on the site of the original lighthouse built by the Venetians in 1645.   The Chania Lighthouse was originally a naval post created by the Venetians to protect the city from the oncoming Turks or pirates.

 

In 1645, the Turks took control of the city, during which the lighthouse was left to ruins. Egyptian troops, who were aiding the Ottoman Empire in protecting Crete, rebuilt the lighthouse in 1864--- only the base of the original lighthouse remains.  In May 1915 a fixed white light was installed, marking it is an official lighthouse in Greece's network. The lighthouse suffered damage in World War II and was refurbished in 2006. 

At Gyros Chania, we ordered an appetizer listed as olives.  The server delivered a bowl of probably 25 delicious olives (with pits) along with 3 pieces of fresh pita bread!  Cost: 3 euros, about $3.45.  After that, TK enjoyed a “small” pork gyro, while I had pasticcio, a layered lasagna like entrée. The pasticcio was served with French fries??? and lettuce, fresh tomato, and cucumbers—13 euros about $14.  They even served Pepsi Max—what??? No Coke??

 

Appetizer: a bowl of olives and warm pita

Janie's Pastitsio / παστίτσιο

TK's Gyro / γύρος

Today was a short day for us, we cannot believe how tired we are with so many ports to see.

TK’s Takes:  There were a lot of women in the military units that we saw today.  Cats are wandering throughout the city.  There were a lot of gelato shops, he said he has never seen so many.  He also spotted a pet rabbit huddling near a shop, it must be a tame one because he saw its cage and water.  I never know what photos he will come up with.

B2 should like these 2 photos

He saw lots of cats-that must have

been the inspiration for this photo 

at a souvenir shop

NAPLES, SORRENTO, POMPEII ITALY: FROM LIMONCELLO, AND PIZZA IN WOOD FIRED OVENS TO THE WONDER OF POMPEII!

Monday, October 26, 2026
Day 21/50
Naples, Italy
72F, sunny!

 

Sunset over Naples and the Tyrhennian Sea

What a day! It started at 5:30 a.m. this morning so we could meet our shore excursion tour in the Explorers Lounge at 7:00 a.m.  with 35 other people.  

One of the first things our tour guide, Enzo, told us was that Naples was like lasagna, with layers of archeological artifacts deep in the earth.  Construction sites and road improvements are stopped when artifacts are found.  Recently 5 Roman boats were found near the harbor.

 

City of Naples

The obligatory fortress

The ever present Mount Vesuvius 

4000 feet high

Representation of the volcano's reach

Mount Vesuvius loomed ahead of us, not that far from Naples. Enzo said that the last major eruption since October 24, 79 AD was in 1944. Volcanologists predict there will be another major eruption soon. He said Vesuvius was considered the most dangerous volcano in the world.

I checked and here is what I found:

VESUVIUS

Highest global danger ranking: A 2026 threat assessment rands Vesuvius #1 worldwide with an Extreme (10/10) danger score.

Population exposure: More than 3 million people live within 18.6 miles of the volcano, making it the most densely populated volcanic hazard zone on Earth.

Eruption style: Vesuvius produces violent Plinian eruptions, capable of generating pyroclastic flows, ash columns reaching miles high, and widespread destruction.

Historical devastation: The AD 79 eruption destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. Later eruptions in 1631 and 1944 caused major loss of life and infrastructure damage.

Naples has a city population of about a million people and a metropolitan population of nearly 3 million residents as of 2026.  It is the third-largest city in Italy (after Rome and Milan) and the largest city in southern Italy. 

Naples was founded by the Greeks in the 7th century BC, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban areas in the world. Located on the Gulf of Naples,  the city serves as southern Italy's main economic hub, anchored by a major international port and advanced transportation infrastructure.  TK and the U.S.S. Columbus made frequent stops in Naples.

 

On to the Amalfi Coast, and the Gulf of Salerno. Our bus passed vibrant villages along the switch backs overlooking the Isle of Capri, red tiled roofs, laundry drying-hanging out on balconies, bikes weaving in and out of traffic, white or yellow stucco exteriors on apartment buildings and homes, people picking olives, lemon trees, people parking wherever they wanted, traffic jams, horns blaring, palm trees, roundabouts, a true assortment of sights to behold!

 

Our first stop was a limoncello factory near Sorrento.  We have visited this factory and store before, and it was one of the reasons we took this tour—the individually wrapped soft lemon candy!   And they had sfogliatella!!! 

Ready to ship!

You would have loved this treat--

fresh mozzarella and fresh ricotta with

chopped tomatoes and a bit of prosciutto

A great cheesemaking demo!

View from factory of the Bay of Salerno

Besides that, we had a little lesson on how to make mozzarella and a small treat of freshly made ricotta and mozzarella with fresh chopped tomatoes.  Giovanni told us that fresh, real mozzarella squeaks in your mouth.  Making it seems simple enough, milk, rennet, and the correct temperature.  He said it takes 10 quarts of milk to make 1 kilo of mozzarella.   Nothing is simple when Janie is in the kitchen. He also told us that he adds milk to ricotta to make it creamier—I gathered that making ricotta was the same recipe, you just use the mozzarella leftover liquid and stuff.    https://www.sorrentoexcellence.com/en/

 

After a brief stop to see an old craft of making art with wood veneer:  making lace like items with an electric blade, not laser)  (https://gaja1852.com/), we had free time in Sorrento, for which I was very grateful—most tours don’t seem to allow for a little shopping or eating.   The colorful shops were enticing, and after some purchases we headed for pizza shop. 

Street in Sorrento

I love the colors!

Lemons everywhere!

We were told Pizzeria Aurora 

had the best pizza

Inside

Wood fired oven!

Their rule was no sharing, so we each had a pizza.

I thought it (Margharita) was very fresh and delicious

TK said he liked the ship's pizza better

What can I say? I will say the ship's pizza is good

Enzo pointed out Vesuvius tomatoes, 

saying they were the best

Aside: Vesuvio Piennolo tomatoes, or Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio, are a traditional grape-shaped tomato variety grown on the mineral-rich volcanic slopes of Mount Vesuvius, prized for their concentrated sweetness, firm flesh, and long shelf life.  I don’t think we have such a variety—the volcanic soil helps!

Our final stop was Pompeii. Pompeii is only about 14 miles from Naples and sits at the base of Mount Vesuvius.  Originally founded by the Osci, an Italic people before Roman times, it became a Roman colony in 80 BC. It was developing into a multicultural city influenced by the Oscan, Greek, and Roman cultures.   By 79 AD Pompeii was a prosperous resort city with a population of 11,000 to 20,000 residents.   I always watch documentaries on this intriguing city, rediscovered in 1748.

 

This was our 4^th visit to Pompeii—other places I want to go are Herculaneum and the Naples Archeological Museum which holds most of Pompeii’s artifacts.  The limoncello factory won out again, but maybe next time!  This website has good basic information: https://pompeiicity.com/en/facts

 

Pompeii is about 170 acres in size and about 67% of the city has been excavated.  There are about 15,000 to 20,000 visitors per day, and I think today all 20,000 showed up.  Pompeii would not be the same if sidewalks were smooth and the roadways were paved, that is a fact.

 

So, visitors negotiate the rough pebbled “sidewalk” and the very rough stones in the roadway that vary in size.  Keeping pace with a guide, trying to watch the street or sidewalk for hazards, trying to look at the various sites, and negotiating free space with 20,000 people is quite interesting.  This time, Janie did not demonstrate her nimbleness and crashed and dived into the street with magnificent grace. 

 

I was extremely fortunate—TK and another gentleman helped me back up, my camera was not damaged, no clothes were torn. Some bystanders thought I hit my head, but I don’t think so.  My very padded upper femur and hip were bruised, and now I have a black and blue swollen hip—and I don’t need any added inches there, but that is all.  So fortunate.

 

Apparently, there aren’t as many visitors after October 31, so Dear Readers, if you visit Pompeii, high season is in the summer—the Internet says April and May are best, as well as September-October. Ha! I do not believe that!  And, I would never never recommend visiting when it is raining.

 PHOTOS OF POMPEII

Above: Photos from the Coliseum, Opera, and 

Theater areas

Stepping stones because waste (human and otherwise) 

was just dumped in the streets. Enzo, who I chopped off,

said it was extremely smelly in the streets.

No kidding.

Another view of a street  with stepping stones

The forum area

Forum area

Individual shops' stalls

Amphora, to hold anything like

olive oil and wine

Fresco inside a villa

 (original in Naples museum)

Chariot 

(original in Naples museum)

Beware of the dog!

A "restaurant" of sorts

pots of soup?

Another "restaurant"

Mount Vesuvius looms in the background

Can you see the lumpy road?

Reflection:   Pompeii was buried under 13-20 feet of volcanic ash and pumice and it took 17 centuries to find it again--this fact alone makes such a sight a wonder to behold. It is estimated that 11,000 people died from the effects of the eruption. The power of nature is  unforgettable.  

Our bus ride back to the ship took about 20 minutes, it was a long day!  We ate at the Buffet instead of the dining room and then we called it a night.

 

TK's Takes:  Pompeii--too many people, too rough. Most unsafe excursion he was ever on.  Parking lot was full of buses.  He is worried about the weight of all the candy he bought at the limoncello factory. [Note: Janie bought candy as gifts. TK bought candy for himself]  Very rough seas today--the sea day.  He played a slot pull with fellow shipmates.  Lobster and filet mignon tonight for dinner--a formal evening.

On to Crete, Greece we go!